Folarin Balogun

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Folarin Balogun
Balogun asse asm 2425.png
Balogun playing for Monaco in 2025
Personal information
Full name Folarin Jerry Balogun [1]
Date of birth (2001-07-03) July 3, 2001 (age 24)
Place of birth Brooklyn, New York, United States [2]
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [3]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Monaco
Number 9
Youth career
Aldersbrook
2008–2020 Arsenal
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2020–2023 Arsenal 2 (0)
2022 → Middlesbrough (loan) 18 (3)
2022–2023 → Reims (loan) 37 (21)
2023– Monaco 42 (11)
International career‡
2018 England U17 4 (0)
2018 United States U18 4 (2)
2018–2019 England U18 10 (3)
2020 England U20 1 (0)
2021–2022 England U21 13 (7)
2023– United States 17 (5)
Medal record
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Men's soccer
CONCACAF Nations League
Winner 2023
Winner 2024
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of May 3, 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of September 10, 2024

Folarin Jerry Balogun (born July 3, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Monaco and the United States national team.

Contents

A Hale End academy prospect of Arsenal, Balogun was promoted to the first team in 2020 and featured sparingly for the club, later going on loan to EFL Championship side Middlesbrough in 2022. In the following season, Balogun made his breakthrough in a loan to Ligue 1 side Reims, where he scored 21 goals in 37 appearances to be the French league's fourth top scorer of the season. [4] In August 2023, Balogun left Arsenal and signed with Monaco for €40 million ($43 million). [5]

Balogun represented both the United States and England at the youth international level. In May 2023, he made the decision to play for the United States senior national team. He made his debut in June 2023, winning the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League and scoring his first goal in the final. [6]

Balogun is often referred to by his nickname of "Flo", coined for him in his years at Arsenal's Hale End academy. [7]

Early life

Balogun was born in New York City to Nigerian parents Ben and Florence. [8] [9]

He left the United States and emigrated to the United Kingdom with his parents when he was two years old, [10] [11] growing up in London. [12]

Club career

Arsenal

Early career

Balogun joined Arsenal at the age of eight, after being scouted while playing for his previous Sunday League side, Aldersbrook. [13] [14] Before trialling with Arsenal, he had trialled with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and nearly signed for them. [14]

In 2017, he was an integral part of Trevor Bumstead's Arsenal U16 side that won the Liam Brady Cup, beating Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Juventus respectively. [15]

He signed a professional contract in February 2019. [16] In July 2020, after failing to agree a new contract with Arsenal, he was linked with a transfer away from the club, including a proposed £8 million move to Brentford. [17] [18]

2020–22: Senior team debut and loan to Middlesbrough

On October 29, 2020, he made his senior debut in the Europa League, coming on as a substitute in the 74th minute, in a group stage match against Dundalk. [19] [20] On November 26, he scored his first senior goal, in a Europa League group stage match against Molde. [21] [20]

On April 26, 2021, Balogun signed a new long-term contract with the club. [22] On August 13, Balogun made his Premier League debut in a 2–0 loss against newly promoted Brentford. [23]

Balogun training with Arsenal in 2022 Arsenal v Everton - 52222904853 (cropped).jpg
Balogun training with Arsenal in 2022

On January 12, 2022, he joined EFL Championship club Middlesbrough on a loan deal until the end of the season. [24] [25] [26] On March 8, he scored his first goal for Boro in a 4–1 loss to Sheffield United, [27] and later scored in back-to-back wins over Birmingham City and Peterborough United. [28] [29]

2022–23: Loan to Reims

Balogun training with Reims in 2023 Lens - Reims (12-05-2023) 28.jpg
Balogun training with Reims in 2023

In August 2022, he moved on loan to French club Reims. [30] [31] Balogun scored on his debut for the club on August 7, a 4–1 defeat to Marseille; fellow Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares, also on his debut, scored for Marseille in the match. [32] On January 29, 2023, Balogun scored a late goal in stoppage time to seal a 1–1 draw away to league leaders Paris Saint-Germain. [33] It was his eleventh goal in Ligue 1 during the season, the most of any player aged 21 or under in Europe's top five leagues. [33] Three days later, Balogun scored his first senior hat-trick in a 4–2 win over Lorient, his fourteenth goal of the season in Ligue 1. [34] This made him the top scorer in Ligue 1 at that time. [35] He finished the season with 21 goals, to be the fourth top scorer in the league. [4]

Upon his return to Arsenal for the 2023–24 season, Balogun stated he would not leave the club again on loan. [36] In August 2023, he was reported to have attracted interest from Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Monaco. [37]

Monaco

On August 30, 2023, Ligue 1 side Monaco announced the signing of Balogun on a five-year contract, [38] [39] for a reported fee of €30 million, which could rise to €40 million with add-ons. [40] On September 2, he played his first match for Monaco, coming on against Lens. During the match, he picked up his first yellow card for simulation after trying to win a penalty. [41] On September 17, he scored his first league goal for Monaco, three minutes after coming off the bench in a 2–2 draw to Lorient. [42] On September 22, he had his first start at the club, in which he missed two penalties in a 1–0 defeat against Nice. [43]

In the 2024–25 season, Balogun suffered a series of injuries which sidelined him most of the season. On May 3, 2025, he scored on his first start back from injury, a 3–1 win over Saint-Étienne. [44]

International career

Born in the United States to Nigerian parents and raised in the United Kingdom, Balogun was eligible to represent the United States, England and Nigeria at international level before he committed himself to the US.

Youth career

After playing for England at the under-17 level, and appearing in the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, [45] he accepted a call up from the United States under-18 national team in August 2018 for a training camp and a tournament in the Czech Republic. [12] [46] He played in all four of the United States' games in the Václav Ježek Youth Tournament and scored twice. [47] He also expressed interest in playing for Nigeria, although he stated that he enjoys England's "style of play" which is "similar to Arsenal's". [48] [49]

In 2019, he appeared and scored for the England under-18 national team in a tournament in Dubai. [50] In October 2020, he made an appearance for the England under-20 against Wales. [51]

On August 27, 2021, Balogun received his first call up to the England under-21 team. [52] On September 7, 2021, he made his England U21 debut as a substitute during the 2–0 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win over Kosovo under-21s at Stadium MK. [53]

In October 2022, he said he was open to playing for Nigeria. [54]

Senior career

On May 16, 2023, FIFA approved Balogun's application for a switch to represent the United States national team. He had been recruited by the United States through several meetings, which included watching the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks play in Florida. [55] Balogun received his first call up to the United States senior squad on June 1, featuring in the squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. [56] On June 18, Balogun scored his first goal for the United States in their Nations League final victory over Canada. [6]

Balogun was selected to the USMNT's roster at the 2024 Copa America. In the first match, Balogun scored the United States' second goal in a 2–0 win against Bolivia, [57] and in the second, he scored the opener in the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Panama when the U.S. was down to 10 players after a red card given to Timothy Weah at the 18th minute. Despite the loss, Balogun was awarded the Man of the Match award. [58] Following the game, Balogun, along with teammates Weah, Chris Richards and Weston McKennie, suffered racial abuse from online trolls. Balogun's club Monaco, as well as CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and the U.S. Soccer Federation condemned the actions and fully supported the players. [59] [60] The US was eliminated after losing to Uruguay 1-0 in Kansas City.

Style of play

Balogun (left) playing for Arsenal at the 2023 MLS All-Star Game 2023 MLS All Star Game 2023-07-19 Folarin Balogun Tim Parker.jpg
Balogun (left) playing for Arsenal at the 2023 MLS All-Star Game

Balogun is known for his pace, technique, and being two-footed. [61] Labelled a pure "number nine" or center forward, Balogun has also played as a trequartista in youth soccer, and was deployed by Chris Wilder in a second-striker role at Middlesbrough. [62] [63] Martin Keown compared Balogun to Arsenal's second highest ever goalscorer Ian Wright, due to his pace and intelligent movement. [64]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played May 3, 2025 [65]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [a] League cup [b] ContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Arsenal U21 2018–19 [66] ————1 [c] 010
2019–20 [67] ————1 [c] 010
2020–21 [20] ————2 [c] 121
2021–22 [68] ————2 [c] 222
Total————6363
Arsenal 2020–21 [20] Premier League 0000105 [d] 2—62
2021–22 [68] Premier League200020——40
2022–23 [69] Premier League00000000—00
Total20003052—102
Middlesbrough (loan) 2021–22 [68] Championship 18320———203
Reims (loan) 2022–23 [69] Ligue 1 372121———3922
Monaco 2023–24 [70] Ligue 129731———328
2024–25 [71] Ligue 1134——3 [e] 0—164
Total421131—30004812
Career total99357230826312342
  1. ↑ Includes FA Cup, Coupe de France
  2. ↑ Includes EFL Cup
  3. 1 2 3 4 Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  4. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played September 10, 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
United States 202383
202492
Total175
Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Balogun goal.
List of international goals scored by Folarin Balogun
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1June 18, 2023 Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, United States2Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 2–02–0 2023 CONCACAF Nations League final
2September 12, 2023 Allianz Field, Saint Paul, United States4Flag of Oman.svg  Oman 1–04–0 Friendly
3October 17, 2023 Geodis Park, Nashville, United States6Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 3–04–0Friendly
4June 23, 2024 AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States13Flag of Bolivia.svg  Bolivia 2–02–0 2024 Copa América
5June 27, 2024 Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States14Flag of Panama.svg  Panama 1–01–22024 Copa América

Honors

United States

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/07/2018 and 31/07/2018". The Football Association. p. 4. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019.
  2. ↑ Di Stasio, Arnaud (December 11, 2022). "Folarin Balogun: 'I'm going to make a decision soon'". Ligue 1. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  3. ↑ Folarin Balogun at Soccerway. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "USMNT hopeful Folarin Balogun scores 21st Ligue 1 goal for Reims in final game of season". Goal.com. June 3, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Why did Arsenal agree to sell USMNT star Folarin Balogun? Mikel Arteta explains €40m transfer to Monaco | Goal.com US". goal.com. September 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Arsenal: Folarin Balogun future will be 'subject of intense debate'". BBC Sport. June 19, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Nelson - The youngsters who have impressed me most". arsenal.com. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  8. ↑ Ruthu (June 23, 2024). "Introducing Folarin Balogun's Family- Parents, Siblings, Girlfriend & More". EssentiallySports. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  9. ↑ Critchlow, Dan (March 15, 2019). "Folarin Balogun admits he hasn't decided international allegiance: England, USA or Nigeria". Daily Cannon. Belfast . Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ Okeleji, Oluwashina (March 21, 2019). "Nigeria yet to approach Arsenal's Folarin Balogun". BBC Sport. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Mikel Arteta sends message to Arsenal contract rebel Folarin Balogun". Metro . London. October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Karen, Mattias (August 20, 2018). "U.S. under-18s call up promising Arsenal prospect Folarin Balogun". ESPN . Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  13. ↑ Wheatley, Chris (September 4, 2018). "Arsenal academy update: Smith-Rowe, Willock & Balogun set for breakthrough campaign". Goal . Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  14. 1 2 "Young Gun: Folarin Balogun". Arsenal F.C. July 12, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Under-16s lift Liam Brady cup". Arsenal F.C. April 3, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  16. ↑ Abayomi, Tosin (February 14, 2019). "Nigerian born Folarin Balogun signs professional contract with Arsenal". Pulse. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Folarin Balogun appears to confirm Arsenal decision on Instagram". Metro . DMG Media. July 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  18. ↑ Thomas, Lyall (July 31, 2020). "Folarin Balogun: Arsenal demand £8m for Brentford target". Sky Sports . Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  19. ↑ Smith, George (October 29, 2020). "'Better than Firmino!' – Arsenal fans go nuts after Mikel Arteta's Folarin Balogun decision". Football.london . Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Games played by Folarin Balogun in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Molde 0-3 Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe praised by Mikel Arteta". BBC Sport. November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Folarin Balogun signs new long-term contract". Arsenal F.C. April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  23. ↑ de Roché, Art (August 13, 2021). "Folarin Balogun starts his first Premier League game for Arsenal vs Brentford". The Athletic . Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Arsenal loan striker Balogun to Boro". BBC Sport. January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Folarin Balogun joins Middlesbrough on loan". Arsenal F.C. January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Folarin Balogun Joins Boro On Loan". Middlesbrough F.C. January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Sheffield United 4-1 Middlesbrough: Chris Wilder's return to Bramall Lane ends in heavy defeat". BBC Sport. March 8, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Birmingham City 0-2 Middlesbrough: Boro move back into top six with routine win". BBC Sport. March 15, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Peterborough United 0-4 Middlesbrough: Boro win boosts play-off hopes". BBC Sport. April 2, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  30. ↑ "Folarin Balogun joins Stade de Reims on loan". Arsenal F.C. August 3, 2022.
  31. ↑ Flood, George (August 3, 2022). "Arsenal confirm exit as clear-out continues but striker will be back". Evening Standard.
  32. ↑ "Marseille 4-1 Reims: Arsenal loanees Nuno Tavares & Folarin Balogun grab debut goals". 90min. August 7, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  33. 1 2 "Paris Saint Germain 1-1 Reims". BBC Sport. January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  34. ↑ Stroud, James (February 1, 2023). "FolarinBalogun: Arsenal loanee scores superb hat-trick in Reims v Lorient". GiveMeSport. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  35. ↑ "'Arsenal's headache' - the youngster outscoring Mbappe". BBC Sport.
  36. ↑ "Arsenal: 'I definitely won't go on loan again' - Folarin Balogun". BBC Sport. June 19, 2023.
  37. ↑ "Chelsea, Inter and Monaco enquire about Balogun". BBC Sport.
  38. ↑ "Folarin Balogun is Monegasque!". AS Monaco. August 30, 2023.
  39. ↑ "Monaco sign Balogun for £35m from Arsenal". BBC Sport.
  40. ↑ "Folarin Balogun é reforço do AS Monaco por 30 milhões de euros" [Folarin Balogun is AS Monaco's reinforcement for 30 million euros]. Bola na Rede (in European Portuguese). August 30, 2023.
  41. ↑ "Monaco cruise to victory against Lens". Ligue1 COM. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  42. ↑ "WATCH: USMNT star Folarin Balogun scores first goal for Monaco within three minutes of stepping off the bench against Lorient | Goal.com". www.goal.com. September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  43. ↑ "Disastrous first start for Folarin Balogun! USMNT star fails twice from penalty spot in first start as Monaco fall to Nice". Goal.com. September 22, 2023.
  44. ↑ "U.S. duo Balogun, Dike net 1st goals since injuries". ESPN.com. May 3, 2025. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  45. ↑ "European Under-17 Championships: England lose 6–5 on penalties to Netherlands". BBC Sport. May 17, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  46. ↑ Emmanuel, Ifeanyi (August 20, 2018). "Arsenal's Nigerian Whizkid Provisionally Cap-Tied To England Selected To Represent USA". All Nigeria soccer. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  47. ↑ Henry Jr., Larry (August 25, 2018). "USMNT U-18s win Vaclav Jezek Tournament". SBI Soccer. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  48. ↑ "'Don't Play For Nigeria' – English FA To Meet With Parents Of Arsenal Nigeria U20 Target Folarin Balogun". Own Goal Nigeria. March 23, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  49. ↑ "Young Gun: Folarin Balogun". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  50. ↑ "The young lions were victorious in their opening game in Dubai with a 4–1 over Japan". The FA. The Football Association. March 19, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  51. ↑ "Two quickfire goals in the first half seal win for Lee Carsley's Young Lions at SGP". The Football Association. October 13, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  52. ↑ "Harvey Elliott: Liverpool winger receives first England U21 call-up for September internationals". Sky Sports. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  53. ↑ "England U21 2–0 Kosovo U21". BBC Sport. September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  54. ↑ "England U21 star Balogun open to Nigeria call-up". BBC Sport.
  55. ↑ Tannenwald, Jonathan (May 16, 2023). "Highly rated striker Folarin Balogun commits to the USMNT". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  56. ↑ "24 player biosteel USMNT training camp roster". ussoccer.com. June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  57. ↑ "USA's 'selfless leader' Pulisic inspires win over Bolivia". ESPN. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  58. ↑ "Player ratings: Weah's red card costs USMNT despite Balogun's sublime goal". ESPN.com. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  59. ↑ "Copa America: USA 1-2 Panama - Timothy Weah suffers racist abuse after red card". BBC Sport.
  60. ↑ "USA soccer condemns racism after Folarin Balogun shared abuse he received on social media following USMNT loss". CBSSports.com. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  61. ↑ "'This young boy is fire' - Everything you need to know about Folarin Balogun". Planet Football. October 30, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  62. ↑ "Thriving in Transition: A Scouting Report on Folarin Balogun". The Analyst. April 4, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  63. ↑ "Folarin Balogun's Middlesbrough spell is giving Arteta food for thought at Arsenal". talkSPORT. April 1, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  64. ↑ Wheatley, Chris (December 11, 2020). "Arsenal's 'next Ian Wright' who has shown Arteta what he can do in 60 minutes". Football.London. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  65. ↑ Folarin Balogun at Soccerway
  66. ↑ "Games played by Folarin Balogun in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  67. ↑ "Games played by Folarin Balogun in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  68. 1 2 3 "Games played by Folarin Balogun in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  69. 1 2 "Games played by Folarin Balogun in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  70. ↑ "Games played by Folarin Balogun in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  71. ↑ "Games played by Folarin Balogun in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  72. ↑ "U.S. beats Canada to win Nations League as Balogun opens account". ESPN. June 18, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  73. ↑ "Adams Reyna on target as United States complete three peat". CONCACAF. March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  74. ↑ "Turner, Reyna and David lead way in CNL Finals Best XI". CONCACAF. June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
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